Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor, Nqaba Bhanga, recently officially opened the multimillion rand Mendi Arts Centre, in New Brighton, where budding artists will be groomed to become the next stars to come out of the Bay.
The building was previously used as a beer hall in the 1980s; however, a new chapter was unveiled during the launch after the metro invested about R25 million to turn the long outstanding vision to develop the arts centre, into a reality.
During the launch, Bhanga said that history was being made, as new stars would be birthed from the building where many never imagined stars could come from.
“Today we are so excited that we have officially opened this facility. It is historic to us because it reminds us of people like John Kani, Athol Fugard, Winston Ntshona, Nomhle Nkonyeni and Ken Gampu.
“These were great artists who come from here and we want to bring that back in Nelson Mandela Bay. We are a reservoir of art and this is why we have this centre here. We are all celebrating as this belongs to all of us in Nelson Mandela Bay,” Bhanga said.
He made it clear that vandalism of the facility would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
“We need to look after this arts centre. We are not going to tolerate people who will break this thing down because it is our arts centre. We have put a lot of investment into it and we will ensure that there is security but we will not tolerate criminals.
“We have made this investment to take our children away from the streets and we need to protect this centre,” he emphasised.
The mayor added that a diverse board of directors would be put in place to ensure the smooth running of the centre, to boost employment opportunities for scores of young people across the Eastern Cape.
During the opening, young artists performed for guests, who were left impressed by the raw talent, while an art exhibition also showcased the work of young artists at the venue.
One of the artists, Lubabalo Luzipo, said that following the successful opening, artists across the metro were excited to use the facility to groom and showcase their talents.
Musician, Thembani Matika from Qonce (King William’s Town), added that he was honoured to have been part of the production on opening day.
“I am really happy and proud of the work that we have produced.
“The fact that artists from here embraced me and did not see me as an outsider really shows that the mayor is serious when he says that this centre is a home to all of us,” Matika said.
Bhanga has called on the artists, community leaders and residents to be the first protectors of the facility to ensure that future generations enjoy the new arts home.
The metro will have consultation sessions with the local art sector to establish an operational and management model for the centre.
